NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audible Studios, a production arm of Audible.com, today announced the release of Alien: River of Pain, an audio-exclusive adaptation of Christopher Golden’s 2014 novel for 20th century Fox by the same name. Taking place between Alien and Aliens, the recording dramatizes the story of the destruction of Hadley’s Hope, a research and mining colony established on LV-426 in 2157. The birth and backstory of Newt, a lead character in the 1986 film Aliens, is central to the narrative. Alien: River of Pain is now available for download exclusively at audible.com/riverofpain.
Directed by Maggs, best-known for his adaptations of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere for the BBC, this production brings together a powerhouse of sci-fi and fantasy talent. Lead performers include Golden Globe nominee Anna Friel (Limitless, Pushing Daisies), Alexander Siddig (Game Of Thrones, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Bill Hope (Aliens), Colin Salmon (Alien VS Predator, Resident Evil, Arrow), Philip Glenister (Outcast, Life On Mars), Marc Warren (Hustle, Green Street Hooligans) and Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman, Dr Who, EastEnders).
Alien: River Of Pain is the second collaboration between Audible and 20th Century Fox Consumer Products on the Alien franchise. In April 2016, Audible debuted Alien: Out of the Shadows, starring Rutger Hauer, Matthew Lewis and Corey Johnson, directed by Dirk Maggs. Based on Tim Lebbon’s 2014 novel of the same name, Alien: Out Of the Shadows is an Audie finalist for Best Audio Drama of 2017. Alien: River of Pain anticipates the May theatrical release of Alien: Covenant, the eighth installment overall in the Alien film series.
“Audio offers enormous potential for creators, performers and listeners alike to explore the expanded universe of their favorite sagas,” said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “We’ve relished the opportunity to work with 20th Century Fox on a second narrative set in the Alien world. Our director, producers and actors have created a rich and atmospheric world which completely immerses the listener in a dark and dangerous world that’s as thrilling as it is desolate.”
With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can enjoy any one audiobook, including Alien: River of Pain, free.
Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Sean Penn, Nick Offerman, Zachary Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson, James Franco, and Jesse Eisenberg. In 2013, Audible Studios won its first Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and also won the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.
Audible, the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word content, invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2016, Audible members downloaded an average of almost 17 books over the course of the year. More than half of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 350,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
